Zipcar

Zip Car WAS good but they have become a criminal organization. I would NOT rent from them (try the better Competing service at other providers) unless you want trouble for years to follow (and that is without any accident or anything but a non working gas card).
gas card did not work and spent an Hour at a gas station calling their number to obtain an explanation. I eventually just paid for $ 20.00 in gas (as they say they will reimburse you) and kept trying to call as the Hour dealing with the non-​working gas card was going to impact return time
Hurry back to Ann Arbor, pass a few people. Apparently, with the «ZipCar» pasted all over someone did not like it and called in and «reported me». Mind you, no ticket, no nothing –just some anonymous call who they cannot tell me who it was (perhaps someone who had bad exp. with zipcar) and want to take it out on me even though nothing happened.
Zipcar apparently believe anon callers before the customer. They try to say I was reckless (I have a spotless driving record) which I very much disagreed with and disputed.
So not we move on the late return due to the non working gas card and the reimbursement for my $ 20 in gas. Not only did they not reimburse me they attempted to tack on some many charges, late fees, gas charges that I cannot believe it.
Sad to say they then suspend my account with them and attempt to bill me over $ 400 dollars — all because I was late because thier gas card did not work and cost me an hour dealing with it !
Also sad to say it is headed to court where the small claims judge can deal with it as they do not seem to understand breach of contract *(gas card not working as gas is included in price) — did not even bother mentioning the mess the car interior was in and no gas in the tank !

I have generally had a good experience with Zipcar but I will write some tips to help people avoid any trouble:
Before you make a reservation:
–The reservation costs the same if it’s 8 to 24 hours. If you’re going to be out more than 5 hours, just spend a little more and rent for the whole day. I got burned once because a concert in Pontiac started late and I had to miss most of the concert because I had to drive back to return the car on time. I should have just taken it out for 24 hours.
–Know EXACTLY where the car is parked ahead of time. Use Google Streetview or something to find out. If this is your first time renting from this location, arrive 10 MINUTES EARLY so you can properly locate the vehicle.
–Print out the Zipcar Accident Repot Form found here
and bring a pen with you. If you get in an accident you want to be able to record the information right away.
–If your phone doesn’t have a camera, bring a camera with you on every Zipcar reservation. In case of an accident you want to be able to photograph the scene especially if it’s not your fault.
Before you swipe your card to get in
–Arrive at your car about 2 minutes before the reservation begins so you have time to do these steps (provided that you know exactly where the car is parked).
–Check for damage.
–Check to make sure the license plate is intact with valid registration tags. (See Sophia G’s review)
Before you start the car:
–Perform a complete search of the car for any contraband. You have no idea who rented the car just before you. You don’t want to be pulled over, give consent to a search to the police to find illegal substances in the car that don’t belong to you.
–Make sure the zipcard gas card is in the driver’s sun visor. You don’t want to find out at the gas station that you need to use your own credit card because the gas card is missing.
Before you drive off any significant distance:
–Make sure the electronic components work, like check the radio, check the power windows and check the seat adjustments.
–Make sure the gas tank is at least ¼ full.
–If you plan on driving near or above 180 miles, write down the odometer reading. When you return the car you want to know exactly how many miles you were driving so that you potentially don’t get cheated.
–While pulling out and driving make sure the car isn’t making any terrible noises. If it is, RETURN IT IMMEDIATELY AND CALL ZIP CAR. I rented a Zipcar once that made these terrible noises. It didn’t sound so bad at first but got worse and worse and my car broke down on the interstate! Luckily I was able to get a taxi and Zipcar refunded my taxi expense.
If you follow the above steps you may avoid many of the problems people have reported with Zipcar. After one year of membership I think my second year will be much better because I will avoid running into these kinds of problems and will know how to deal with them.

A little while back I was looking at a $XXXX car repair bill, and made the decision to get rid of the car, buy a sweet bike instead, and sign up with Zipcar. I’ve only reserved a car a few times so far, but overall, I’m a fan. Their system is well-​organized and the cars have been in good condition. I like that they all have aux cables so you can plug your mp3 player into the car stereo, and it’s great that you can get an SUV for the same rate as a compact car in case you need to move a couch or something.
The downside is that if you check out a car for more than a couple of hours, you’ll be spending SIGNIFICANTLY more money than you would at Enterprise or some regular car rental place. Renting a car for 24 hours is less than 40 bucks at Hertz or Enterprise, but almost $ 70 through Zipcar. It’s just not competitive.

My sister and I rented a Zipcar over the weekend. Close to the end of our rental, we decided to go by the Detroit airport. We were stopped by police as the tags on our Zipcar had expired back in 2008! If you decide to rent a Zipcar, make sure that the tags are current so you don’t have to go through the same experience we did!